Rookie David Wilson had a 97-yard return for a score and other runbacks of 58 and 52 yards, while second-year wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan had a huge 60-yard return to set up a touchdown after the Saints had pulled within one score. Considering the way the Giants offense squandered the two long returns Wilson didn't take to the end zone, it's possible they would've lost this game if kickoffs didn't exist.

Giants president and CEO John Mara has said he can envision a day without kickoffs, but that doesn't mean he's leaning that way.

"I certainly have not made up my mind on whether to eliminate the kickoff. I want to see this year's injury data and have some detailed discussions before we do anything," Mara wrote in an email to USA TODAY Sports Monday, one day after the win over the Saints kept his team in first place in the NFC East. "It is certainly one of the more exciting plays in our game."

It certainly was on Sunday. And one would have to wonder if a game like that would give Mara pause about whether to support the push by commissioner Roger Goodell and others to modify or eliminate the kickoff.

Much as it helped his team on Sunday, Mara still believes the safety of the players, not the value of the play, is paramount.

"I would like to consider (and hear from the coaches) whether there are other ways to reduce the risk of injuries on the kickoff before we decide to eliminate it altogether," said Mara, the head of the NFL's competition committee. "If not and if the injury data is compelling, I would certainly consider voting to eliminate it."